In Zero Degrees of Empathy: A New Theory of Human Cruelty and Kindness Simon Baron-Cohen takes fascinating and challenging new look at what exactly makes our behaviour uniquely human.

How can we ever explain human cruelty?

We have always struggled to understand why some people behave in the most evil way imaginable, while others are completely self-sacrificing. Is it possible that - rather than thinking in terms of 'good' and 'evil' - all of us instead lie somewhere on the empathy spectrum, and our position on that spectrum can be affected by both genes and our environments?

Why do some people treat others as objects? Why is empathy our most precious resource? And does a lack of it always mean a negative outcome?

From the Nazi concentration camps of World War Two to the playgrounds of today, Simon Baron-Cohen examines empathy, cruelty and understanding in a groundbreaking study of what it means to be human.

'Fascinating ... dazzling ... a full-scale assault on what we think it is to be human'Sunday Telegraph

Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor at Cambridge University in the fields of psychology and psychiatry. He is also the Director of the Autism Research Centre there. He has carried out research into social neuroscience over a 20 year career. His popular science book entitled The Essential Difference has been translated in over a dozen languages, and has been widely reviewed.

Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App. Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Product description

About the Author

Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor at Cambridge University in the fields of psychology and psychiatry. He is also the Director of the Autism Research Centre there. He has carried out research into social neuroscience over a 20 year career. His popular science book entitled The Essential Difference (Penguin 2003) has been translated in over a dozen languages, and has been widely reviewed.

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Simon Baron Cohen is a psychology professor in Cambridge. He has been studying empathy for thirty years.He sets off by explaining “evil” and human cruelty which is pretty grim reading. Various scenarios are described and in particular experiments performed by medical staff in World War II concentration camps.He demonstrates that there is a bell-shaped curve for empathy and we all have greater or less amounts of it but there is a normal distribution. Men generally have slightly less than women. He describes the empathy mechanism down to neuronal detail and the different parts of the brain that appear stimulated when empathy is seen in experiments. There are a series of areas in different parts of the brain but a very important area is the amygdala. The dorsal medial pre-frontal cortex deals with identifying other’s thoughts and the ventral pre-frontal cortex our own thoughts and feelings.Reduced empathy or “empathy erosion” is when we cease to treat a person as a person and start treating them like an object.Without empathy we risk the breakdown of relationships and then become capable of hurting others and cause conflict.

The case is made for zero degrees of empathy when negative can take the form of a variety of personality disorders such as Type B (borderline personalities), Type P (psychopathic personalities) and Type N (narcissistic personalities). He goes on to describe how the features of these demonstrate poor empathy. The description of the types certainly brings about recollection of various patients, especially Type B (could be described as I hate you / don’t leave me).He also describes how empathy can be eroded and this can be temporary (eg tired, drunk) or permanently reduced as in the personality disorders.However there are individuals who have low levels of empathy but this positive in that they appear not to have the ability to interact and understand people’s emotions but nevertheless show caring attitudes. These groups come under the autistic spectrum. He goes on to describe how such people can be very valuable to society.

Also considered is whether there are hereditary aspects. Some evidence that prenatal testosterone and masculization of the brain in utero may lead to stronger systemization and weaker empathy.

There are very useful appendices on how to spot zero degrees of empathy (negative) and also the Empathy Quotient questionnaire which you can do yourself. There is also a child one.

The EQ scores normal for adult men: around 42 and women 47 (average range 33-52).0 – 32 is low. Most with Aspergers or high functioning autism score about 20.

Psychopathic Personalities: Bowlby’s concept of parent giving the child an internal pot of gold.Michael Rutter – ability to bounce back and resilience are shown with people who show affection and intimacy.Gray – Behavioural Inhibition System (filtering system). Psychopaths have less anxiety about the consequences of their actions. They have problems thinking about consequences.Excessive stress can damage the hippocampus and cause over-activity in the amygala.James Blaire – Violence Inhibition Mechanism – Normally if people cry out you stop what you are doing. Psychopaths do not.

Zero – Negative Empathy Type N (narcissistic) believe themselves to be entitled, self-centred but not aggressive. Believes themselves to be superior. If the person is no use to them they get rid of them.

Zero-Positive Empathy:• Exact mind – processes information in a way that can lead to talent.• Brain – super-moral• Affective empathy may be in tact so can care for people.

Empathy is essential in any conflict: work, home etc. It is free and cannot oppress anyone.

There is an extensive list of references and detailed expansion of the psychological experiments in the appendix so that you could look up the original papers.

A most fascinating book with insights into people with autism, personality disorders (I have a clearer view of borderline personality now) and my own levels of empathy. A definite must read for any healthcare professional who has contact with these groups of patients. It is also a definite must if you have ever wondered why you do not have as intense emotions towards others as you think you might.

A good read. The concept of empathy is one that many people don't really understand. Go ahead - ask them. Turn to your family and ask them - 'What is empathy?' and more importantly, 'Why is it so important?'

Simon Baron-Cohen writes at length about those in our society who have 'Zero Degrees of Empathy' - those that cannot put themselves in the shoes of others, who do not understand why people's feelings are hurt by others' actions. He considers those who suffer from this trait and attempts to explain why. There's a lot of neurology-speak and it's difficult at times to keep up but he makes a difficult topic palatable for the everyday guy.

It's worth a read - especially if you're connected to this area of work (counselling, psychotherapy etc).

This is a ground breaking book, if we are to understand why some people are kind and others are cruel, often with no awareness or remorse. It is particularly useful and informing if you work with people, as I do, on the ASD. The studies into how empathy is structured in brain regions is fascinating, and also how environmental factors affect us. One thing I liked was how Simon explains that not all psychopaths are murders or serial killers, or to be found within the prison system, but also in places of high power, such as politics and also as leaders. A thoroughly enjoyable read, I found it difficult to put down.

Readable and Interesting thesis on empathy, Baron-Cohen presents a very good thesis for the description of 'evil' and antisocial behaviour. He takes the description of 'evil' out of the hands of religion and prescribes a scientific viewpoint. Baron-Cohen describes the zero-degree (negative) person many of us probably have encountered at some point in our lives, and some of the neuroscientific theories underpinning why they are this way. He describes the zero positive individual as those on the autistic spectrum, an area of which Baron-Cohen is widely known. I found the book to be very accessible, not esoteric in presentation, of which many books of this genre can be.

Should be required reading for every social worker, probation officer and criminal judge....understand why Anders Breivik remained aloof in the presence of grieving relatives of his massacre victims but cried when extracts of his ‘manifesto ‘ were read out in court. And on the flip-side - good intro to autism spectrum disorders.

A fascinating and informative look at empathy and the varying versions of lack of empathy. The chapter on brain function might not be for the lay reader but otherwise the book would be helpful to a wide range of readers. I found the examination of the comparison, regarding differing versions of lack of empathy in psychopathic persons and those with Aspergers syndrome particularly enlightening. The questionnaires in the Appendix are very interesting.

This book is written by a world renowned expert on Asperger`s Syndrome and a professor of psychiatry and psychology at Cambridge University. It is essential reading for EVERY human being in understanding normal and abnormal human behaviour - especially parents/teachers and those in abusive or neglectful relationships. It explains why it is so important to nurture empathy in young children, and why this could have an impact on the rest of their lives, those around them and even the environment. Reading this book will give you a revelatory insight into why people behave the way they do - and protect you from possible mental or physical abuse - for the rest of your life.

Also by this author: The Essential Difference (understanding the difference between the male and female brain).

This is not a huge book so it's easy to get to the end of. It's academic but clear and straightforward to is understandable to the lay person. I found it engaging and enlightening and found myself trying to identify traits in people I know, there were several folk I thought fell into the categories!